HOW to save money, start a business and look after their mental health are among the key life skills adults wish they'd been taught at school.
Research of 1,000 mums and dads of children aged 11-16 revealed they also wish they’d been taught how to organise their finances, create a CV and use Maths in real life.
A number of parents wished they’d learned practical skills such as how to change a tyre, put up wallpaper or plaster over a crack.
While others say it would have been useful if teachers could have covered the basics on how to speak publicly, the importance of confidence and even how to invest.
Almost nine in 10 parents said they thought self-care skills are more important in adult life than algebra.
But six in 10 mums and dads (62 per cent) worry their kid’s potential skills might stifled due to not having access to the right training to thrive – as 44 per cent think their child could change the world.
A spokesman from new online learning service 8billionideas, which commissioned the research, said: “The insights from these results have been really interesting, revealing many practical everyday learnings wish they’d picked up earlier in life.
“It’s easy to forget how many things you pick up through real life experiences, from simply doing maths when you’re shopping all the way through to launching your own business.
“These aren’t always things that can be learned in school but are vitally important in getting one step ahead when it comes to the future.”
It also emerged 83 per cent think ‘life skills’ programmes should be offered to kids at school – delivering knowledge about how to budget or start a business.
Nearly half (47 per cent) of parents don’t feel prepared enough to teach their kids important life skills.
While two thirds of children learn life skills from their parents, 29 per cent say their kids pick up learnings from YouTube according to the survey via OnePoll.
TOP 20 THINGS PARENTS WISH THEY LEARNED AT SCHOOL
1. How to save money
2. How to organize your finances e.g. budgeting
3. How to invest money
4. How to look after your mental health
5. How tax works
6. The importance of confidence
7. How to cook everyday meals
8. How to start a business
9. How to buy a house
10. How to create a CV
11. How to present yourself at a job interview
12. How Maths is used in real life
13. How to step out of your comfort zone
14. How to maintain a home
15. How to speak publicly e.g. presentations
16. How to change a car tyre
17. How to put up wallpaper
18. How to plaster over holes and cracks
19. How to put up a shelf
20. How to code
Of the 78 per cent of parents that have home schooled their children in the last year, 49 per cent are worried they’re falling behind in Maths, while 36 per cent think they’re behind in English.
Practical life skills parents think their kids have picked up from being at home in the last year include cooking and cleaning, while more than a quarter (26 per cent) say they’ve learned how to look after their mental health – and 25 per cent have used Maths in real life situations.
However, two third of parents would like to offer their children more opportunities to learn useful skills – but don’t know where to start.
Although creative kids are finding their own ways to harness their energies, with 41 per cent having written their own original story, creating a YouTube video (32 per cent) or TikTok content (28 per cent).
And 25 per cent have used code to create something and 24 per cent have designed a unique logo.
Of the 71 per cent of children who have an idea of what they’d like to be when they grow up, preference was to go into business or medicine.
A spokesman from 8billionideas, added: “Parents are clearly really keen to give their children the best chance in life and supporting them in any way they can.
“And the opportunity to learn certain skills that could help them thrive plays a major part in that – but it can be difficult to know where to start.
“We have launched a brand-new platform to help children learn, develop real skills and maximise their potential.”
To see the full results and find out how you could unleash your child’s learning, head to https://www.8billionideas.com/results
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